HRC findings dismisses Zuma link to July 2021 riots

There was no discernible connection between the incarceration of former President Jacob Zuma and the violent unrest that occurred in July 2021, the Human Rights Commission (HRC) has found. The commission yesterday released the findings of its investigative hearings into the rampant looting and violent unrest almost three years ago. President Cyril Ramaphosa and Police Minister Bheki Cele were some of the witnesses who gave their oral testimonies before the HRC in 2022. The 8-19 July unrest resulted in more than 350 people losing their lives and cost R50bn in damages. The acts of protest, violence and looting spread across the KZN and Gauteng Provinces, a day after Zuma’s imprisonment. A Citizen report says HRC commissioner Philile Ntuli yesterday said the commission’s investigation looked into the role of social, economic and political factors in the July riots, the alleged racially motivated attacks and killings, the causes of the lapses in law enforcement and overall root cause of the unrest. Ntuli said the HRC noted the fact that the country, at the time the violence occurred, was still ‘struggling to come to terms with the costs of the Covid-19 pandemic’. ‘Amidst this socio-economic downturn, the nation was also facing the unprecedented event of the possible incarceration of a former head of state,’ she said.

However, the commission found that the evidence showed that the acts which occurred during the unrest were orchestrated. ‘The blocking of the N3 and the N2, the calculated destruction of factories and warehouses, the organised disconnection of security and fire alarm systems, the attack on government communication facilities at the Durban port, and the bombing and removal of ATM’s – together cannot be viewed as mutually distinct. These events point to a significant investment in the execution of the July unrest,’ Ntuli said, according to The Citizen report. The commissioner highlighted that the evidence further points to ‘two types of actors’ in and during the July unrest. ‘Primary actors who were well-resourced, led and executed the widespread destruction of property, and perpetrated arson attacks. They in turn mobilised secondary actors, who participated in acts of theft at malls and other business premises,’ she explained. The HRC concluded that the timing of the events of the July unrest ‘coincided’ with Zuma’s jailing and therefore, ‘it could not find evidence to link the two events’. ‘This caused an intertwining that blurred the lines between where one ended, and when the other started. This intersection of events has led many to conclude that the two are related. ‘It is probable that the unrest was undertaken to destabilise the economy. However, it will ultimately be within the purview of the SAPS and the NPA to make a conclusive finding regarding the orchestration of the unrest,’ Ntuli continued.